Have leftover turkey you're not sure what to do with? Try this Leftover Turkey Salad recipe that's savory, crunchy, and tossed in creamy a homemade dressing.
It seems whenever we make a turkey, there are more leftovers than we know what to do with. And while we can eat them as is, we all crave variation. That's where this delicious Leftover Turkey Salad comes in. It repurposes that turkey meat into a fabulous salad that tastes fresh and new. With just a few ingredients, this easy salad can be served in a lot of different ways.
This salad is a basic recipe and you can tweak it with so many variations. It's perfect for making use of veggie and cranberry leftovers, too. It's perfectly simple with a homemade dressing that brings creamy, rich flavor and uses basic kitchen staples you're bound to have on hand. The celery and scallions add great crunch and a light oniony flavor that really enhances this Leftover Turkey Salad. Let's talk about how to make it.
Video tutorial
Main ingredients
- Leftover turkey. The white meat works best, but you can also use dark.
- Celery.
- Scallions.
- For the Dressing: Mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
How to make this Leftover Turkey Salad
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. To the dressing add the leftover turkey, celery, and scallions. Mix well and serve.
Tips for the best Leftover Turkey Salad
- Mix the dressing well. Whisk the dressing ingredients well to allow them to emulsify and combine for a uniform taste.
- Chop the turkey fine. You don't want the turkey chunks to be too large, so make sure they are chopped fine to allow more dressing coverage and easier eating.
- Keep the celery small. The celery provides a little crunch with each bite, but it shouldn't overshadow the turkey, so make sure you chop it nice and fine.
- Serve chilled. This salad tastes best chilled, so plan ahead and store it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
Variations to this Recipe
- Add red bell peppers. Adding some red bell peppers to this salad gives it a nice crunch, moisture, and sweetness that is utterly delicious.
- Try it with some fruit. Make this salad with chopped grapes, cranberries, raisins, and apples for some added sweetness to go with the savory flavors.
- Add nuts. Add some pecans to this recipe for a tasty crunch and nutty flavor. You can also try it with walnuts, cashews, and almonds.
- Substitute the turkey. You can still make this basic recipe if you have no turkey. Chicken is a great substitute and has a similar flavor.
How to Store it
Store this Leftover Turkey Salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. It can stay fresh for up to 4 days.
What to Serve this with
- On its own. Enjoy this tasty salad with just a spoon, or scoop some into leaves of romaine lettuce for a light snack.
- On bread. Add this turkey salad to your favorite bread to make this into a sandwich. Or you can just serve it with slices of Potato Flatbread or Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
- Over a salad. Scoop some of this Leftover Turkey Salad on top of a green salad, like this Iceberg Lettuce Salad, Refreshing Cucumber Salad, Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad, or Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.
- With grains. Serve it alongside a scoop of Rice with Mushrooms, Rice with Cabbage, Quinoa with Eggs and Vegetables, or Easy Bulgur Salad.
I hope you enjoy this Leftover Turkey Salad as much as we do. It's such a fresh and exciting way to repurpose leftover turkey so your taste buds don't get bored. I love how versatile this dish is, too. I can add and substitute so many ingredients to make it easy and convenient to make year-round.
This is also a great one for kids. The mild scallions won't scare them away like raw onion might, and the creamy mayo-based dressing and mild turkey flavor all work together to make this salad kid-approved. You are going to love this recipe and no doubt have it on repeat all season long.
More tasty recipes to try:
- Shrimp Fajita Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Easy Red Cabbage Slaw
- Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp
- Eggplant with Tomatoes
Leftover Turkey Salad
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.½ cup mayo, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper
- To the dressing add the leftover turkey, celery, and scallions. Mix well and serve.4 cups leftover turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces, ½ cup finely diced celery, ½ cup chopped scallions
Notes
Variations to this Recipe
- Add red bell peppers. Adding some red bell peppers to this salad gives it a nice crunch, moisture, and sweetness that is utterly delicious.
- Try it with some fruit. Make this salad with chopped grapes, cranberries, raisins, and apples for some added sweetness to go with the savory flavors.
- Add nuts. Add some pecans to this recipe for a tasty crunch and nutty flavor. You can also try it with walnuts, cashews, and almonds.
- Substitute the turkey. You can still make this basic recipe if you have no turkey. Chicken is a great substitute and has a similar flavor.
Boo says
I loved this left-over turkey salad, made for some wonderful sandwiches, salads and loved all the suggestions you gave to change it up. I did add some fine diced carrots for some crunchiness & a little sweetness. An alternative was adding fine chopped jalapeno. It's great you can make just about everything from scratch, no processed item. Tried your Herbed Avocado Cucumber Salad & that was fabulous. I have pinned several of your recipes and never been disappointed. Thanks for sharing.
Tania Sheff says
Thank you so much, Boo! It means a lot to me!